Police in Assam and Uttar Pradesh have registered sedition cases against Sharjeel Imam, who was involved in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitation at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi in the initial stages, for allegedly making provocative statements.

Sharjeel, a JNU student, allegedly made the comments while addressing students of Aligarh Muslim University on January 16.

Akash Kulhare, senior superintendent of police of Aligarh, said: “The police have invoked the sedition charge against the JNU student on the basis of a video in which he was seen and heard advocating a division of the country. We have formed police teams to arrest the accused.”

Assam’s additional director-general of police (law and order), G.P. Singh, tweeted that an FIR had been lodged against Sharjeel.

Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told a news conference on Saturday morning said the state government had already taken cognisance of the “seditious” statement and would register a case against him.

Sharjeel could not be contacted by this newspaper for comment till Saturday night.